Garment-pressing machine.



T. D. PALMER.

GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION mm JAN.25. 1911.

1,141,92. Patented June 1-, 1915.

' pnrrnn STATES PATENT curios.

THEODORE D. PALMER, 0F SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO '1. D. PALMER COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION.

GAE'MENT FRESSING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 25, 1911. Serial No. 604,626.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THEODORE D. PALMER, of S racuse, in the county of Ononda a, in the tate of New York, have invente new and useful Improvements in Garment-Pressing Machines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawin s, is a full, clear, and exact description.

his invention relates to certain improvements in garment pressing machines somewhat similar to that set forth in my pending application #447,77 6 filed August 10, 1908, except that in the present case the buck is composed of sections each movable to and from the pressing position, while the head is provided with a corresponding number of non-communicating steam chambers. These machines are used somewhat extensively for pressing newly made garments for clothing manufacturers, such, for example, as overcoats, undercoats, vests, mens trousers and boys knee pants, as well as skirts and various kinds of ladiesgarments, the garments of each class being usually pressed successively in each lot of garments. For example, the o crator may be required to operate the machine for some time upon vests until the supply is exhausted and then to change immediately upon overcoats or mens trousers or intermediate sized garments.

The main object, therefore, of my present invention is to enable the machine to be easily and quickly adjusted to operate upon garments of different sizes without excessive Waste of steam or extra wear and tear upon such parts of the pressing elements as are not required for use.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a top plan of a portion of a garment pressing machine showing particularly the form of the press head and buck and also showing the steam supply pipes and part of the supporting frame u on which t e movable press head is mounte Fig. 2 is a front elevation partly in section of a buck and press head showing the steam supply pi es for both of the pressing elements and a so showing the supports and operating means for the buck sections. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the su ports and o crating means for one of t e sections of t e buck.

As shown in the drawings this machine comprises a vertically movable press head -1 and an underlying buck composed of a series of, in this instance three, separate sections 2 arranged end to end and each adapted to be moved vertically to and from ts pressing position by any suitable operatmg means, such, for example, as a lever and toggle joint 4-', said sections being guided in their vertical movements by telescoping supports -5- and 6 secured respectively to the underside of the sections 2-'and to a suitable supporting table 7 indicated by a single line in Fig. 2.

Each operating lever 3 is shown as pivoted at --8 to one side of the corresponding supporting base 6- and is provided with a rigid arm -9- which is pivotally connected to a link 10-, the latter being similarly connected to the underside of the corresponding buck section -2 thereby forming a toggle connection be tween the lever and buck section.

The pivotal connection of the link lO with the underside of the corresponding buck section 2- is directly over the fulcrum 8 of the lever 8, while the pivotal connection between the arm 9: and link 10 is movable to and from a position between and in the same straight line with the first named pivots so as to establish a toggle lock for holding the buck section in its extreme upward or pressing ppsition, the toggles for each of the bucks ingsubstantially identical, thereby assuring the disposition of the upper surface of the buck section in the same horizontal plane when they are adjusted for use.

Each buck section .is preferably hollow for forming a steam chamber -11 having an imperforate top -12 covered by a suitable press cloth 22, each steam chamber being provided with a supply conduit -l4t and valved drain pipe -15, the latter serving to draw off any water of condensation which may accumulate in the chamber. These steam pipes -14 may be connected to any available source of supply, not necessary to herein illustrate and are provided with suitable valves 16- for controlling the entrance of steam to their respective chambers, the object being to keep the buck sections hot readyfor use at any time and also to expedite the drying of the garment after being subjected to steam and mechanical pressure.

The head -1 is movable vertically to and from the buck and for this purpose is provided with rearwardly projecting arms -17-, which are pivotally connected to a suitable supporting frame 18- some distance to the rear of the pressing elements so as to allow ample room for spreading out the garments upon the buck. This head is preferably hollow and provided W1th a series of, in this instance three, non-communicating steam compartments or chambers -19- corresponding in number and position to the buck sections 2, said compartments being divided one from the.

other by transverse partitions 20 located directly over the lines of division between the buck sections so that the form and area of each compartment -19- is substantially the same as the upper surface of its corresponding buck section with which it is adapted to cooperate in pressing garments.

Each chamber or compartment 19. is provided with a perforated bottom plate 2lcovered by a press cloth -22 for distributing the steam more evenly over the surface of the garment while under pressure, these bottom plates being preferably continuous across the entire lower surface of the press head.

Each chamber is provided with a steam supply pipe -22 having a self-closing valve 23 adapted to be opened by a hand lever 24 within easy reaching distance of the operator, said supply pipes preferably merging into a single conduit Q5 which may be connected to any available source of steam supply not shown.

The steam entering each chamber encounters abaflle plate -26 which is arranged across the inner end of the inlet within the chamber 19 and serves to distribute the steam more evenly throughout said chamber.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the buck section at the right as depressed or lowered from its pressing position leaving the other two sections in position for pressing medium sized garments but it is evident that either of the latter sections may be lowered and only one section used if desired or all three sections may be elevated to the same plane for use in pressing overcoats, trousers and large garments, the single sections being used for pressing vests, knee trousers and similar small articles.

.By dividing the head -1 into a series of non-communicating steam compartments, each adapted to coact with one of the buck sections, it is evident that any one or more of these buck sections may be used in connection with the corresponding compartment for subjecting such garment to steam and mechanical pressure irrespective of the other sections and thelr corresponding-compartments. That is, when one buck section alone is used in connection with the head, the others may be lowered tothe position shown at the right of Fig. 2 by simply ra sing the lever 3., whereupon the head may be brought down to its pressing position upon the garment and corresponding valve -23 opened by means of the lever -24. to admit steam thereto while under pressure, leaving the remaining compartments .free from steam pressure aiid thereby not only economizing in steam. but-also avoiding the escape of such steam into the room in which the machine is located and also preventing excessive wear and tear upon such parts of the machine as are not in actual use.

I preferably employ steam under high pressure which is more rarefied and drier than low pressure steam, thereby avoiding excessive moistening of the garment and permitting such garment to dry quicker than would be the case if low pressure steam were used.

Any suitable means, not necessary to herein illustrate or describe, may be employed for raising and lowering the press head 1- and for this purpose I have shownthe press head as provided with a hand plece 26- by which it may be manipulated.

What I claim is:

1. A garment pressing machine comprising two pressing elements, one of which is composed of chambered sections, each movable independently toward and from the other element, said elements being 'fixed against relative lateralmovement.

2. In a garment pressing machine, a vertically movable press head having separate chambers, and a buck composed of sections, one for each of said chambers, each section being movable to and from the head.

3. A garment pressing machine comprising two pressing elements, one of such elements being composed of sections, each movable independently of and toward and from the other element, said other element having non-c0mmunicatin steam chambers each coacting with one 0% said sections.

4. In a, garment pressing machine, a buck and :1 SW ging press head, one of such parts being composed of sections, one of which sections is movable toward and from the other part independently of another section.

In a garment pressing machine, a buck and a press head, one of such parts being composed of chambered sections arranged end to end, one of the sections being adjustable relatively to another section toward and from the other part, and means for locking the adjustable section in its pressing position. 6. In a garment pressing machine, coactmg pressing elements, each having a plurality of non communicating steam cham- In WitllQSS whereof I have hereunto set my bers, each PIiOVhiGd with austeaimhinlet pipe band on this 19th day of January 1911. havin a Va ve or contro ing t e assa e of 'ste m to the corresponding cham er tl ie THEODORE PALMER 5 chambers of one element being movable sep- Witnesses:

arately into pressing co-action with corre- H. E. CHASE, sponding chambers of the other element. E. F. SPEAKING. 

